The problem of pain causes many to question God. But maybe even more problematic is the problem of pleasure.

I just heard what I think is a brilliant explanation of the problem of pleasure, given by Dr. Ravi Zacharias. I’ve summarized the main points and quotes that stood out to me here – but highly recommend listening to the lecture: The Problem of Pleasure Part 1 and Part 2

“What George Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Aldous Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny “failed to take into account man’s almost infinite appetite for distraction.” ln 1984, Huxley added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. ln Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us. This is about the possibility that Huxley, and not Orwell, was right.” (George Orwell: author of 1984. Aldous Huxley: author of Brave New World)
- Neil Postman, in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

Pleasure isn’t bad. But we need boundaries. And so…
3 Principles To Live By:

1. Anything that refreshes you, without distracting you from, diminishing or destroying your final goal is a legitimate pleasure.

2. Any pleasure the jeopardizes the sacred right of another is an illicit pleasure.

3. Any pleasure, however good, if not kept in balance will distort reality or destroy appetite.

Jesus drastically reduced all the laws in the Old Testament. When asked, “What is the Greatest Commandment?” he gave not one, but two commandments, because the two are inextricably bound. One gives you the basis for the next, and the second gives you the imperative from the first. Jesus said: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22)

However we set our purpose in life, we need to take this commandment into mind. Because this is the will of God. For your life, and mine. In order to live by the three above principles, you need to know what your “final goal” is – what is your purpose in life?

Whatever your calling, it will test your character. Even if what you are working for is an ultimate noble cause, is your cause comprising or sacrificing others along the way? When your calling becomes your main thing, your character becomes comprised in the process.

All pleasures must be kept in balance; and the balanced life is the hardest one to lead.

Susanna Wesley was the mother of 19 children, including Charles (musician) and John (theologian and speaker) Wesley.
John Wesley: Mother, give me a definition of sin.
Susanna Wesley: Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off your relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of the flesh over the spirit, that thing is sin to you, however good it is in itself.

In conclusion:

1. All pleasure must be bought at a price. For true pleasure, the price is paid before you enjoy it. For false pleasure, the price is paid after.

2. Meaninglessness does not come from being weary of pain. It comes from being weary of pleasure. – G.K. Chesterton

3. The closer you get to pure pleasures, the closer you get to the heart of God. The closer you get to impure pleasures, the farther you move from the heart of God.

4. Do you know what your heart longs for? It longs for an intimacy that touches both body and soul.

Again, for more explanation, check out The Problem of Pleasure Part 1 and Part 2 by Ravi Zacharias (about 20 minutes each).